Competency-Based Interview Questions: A Guide

8 min readJul 7, 2022

These days, many Hiring Managers use Competency-Based Interview Questions when assessing potential job candidates. Read our guide to learn more about how to prepare for a competency-based job interview.

What Is The Competency-Based Interview Style?

Also known as Behavioural Interviews, Competency-Based Interviews are a form of structured interview where the Hiring Manager asks the candidate a series of questions designed to gauge their core competencies. In this instance, a “competency” refers to knowledge, skills, and attributes that enable a person to perform their job successfully.

The central concept behind Competency-Based Interviews is that past behaviour is the best way to predict future performance. The typical question style requires the candidate to provide anecdotes demonstrating how they have used certain skills in the past. The interviewer can then use this information to gain an insight into the candidate’s personality and judge how well they would approach different tasks and situations.

Generally speaking, Hiring Managers who employ this technique as part of their recruitment process will take a standardised approach by asking the same or similar questions to all candidates. This allows them to more easily compare the candidates against each other and select the best person for the job.

At the outset of the hiring process, the Hiring Manager will have prepared a Competency Framework. The CIPD defines this as a measurable and detailed “structure that sets out and defines each competency required by individuals working in an organisation or part of that organisation.” This will typically consist of 4–6 key competencies, which are essential to performance in that particular role. The Hiring Manager typically uses a scale to measure how well each candidate satisfies the Competency Framework devised for the job.

The structured, systematic and standardised nature of the Competency-Based Interview style ensures that the Hiring Manager hires someone whose skill set most closely matches the specific needs of the job.

What Are The Origins of the Competency-Based Interview Style?

The origins of Competency Based Interviews can be traced back to the work of the psychologist David McClelland in the 1970s. McClelland argued that taking a competency-based approach was more effective than traditional methods (e.g. IQ tests, personality assessments etc. ) for assessing a candidate’s potential for on-the-job success. According to McClelland, employers should focus both on behavioural qualities as well as on the individual’s proven abilities and technical skills. While McClelland’s ideas were groundbreaking and controversial at the time, these theories have since become standard practice in many organisations.

Why Do Hiring Managers Use the Competency-Based Interview Style?

“Behavioural interviews are used by 73% of HR professionals around the world.” — TalentLyft

Study after study has revealed that unfocused interview techniques result in poor quality hires and costly hiring mistakes. The biggest advantage of Competency-Based Interviewing is that it works. It is a powerful hiring tool that empowers Hiring Managers to make better-informed decisions. What’s more, it has been shown that competency-based interviewing works excellently when used in tandem with assessment centre exercises and psychometric tests.

Another major benefit associated with the competency-based interview style is that it encourages greater diversity. The focus on behaviour ensures that candidates from all demographics and backgrounds receive equal and fair consideration for the role.

How To Tell When You’re Being Asked A Competency-Based Interview Question

It is easy to recognise competency-based interview questions from their phrasing. A competency question will typically ask you to describe a situation, challenge or task that you encountered in the past. Typical phrasings include:

Tell me about a time when …
Give me an example of when …
Can you describe a time when …
Have you ever been in a situation where …

How to Prepare for A Competency-Based Interview

Read and re-read the job ad as well as any other information you can find that is related to the position. This will help you to identify core competencies required for the job and anticipate what kind of questions you may be asked in the interview.
If you are working with a recruiter, ask them what skills will be most important for the role. The recruiter will be able to give you useful insider insights based on their relationship with the hiring organisation.
Create a list of core competencies and reflect on specific times in your career when you successfully made use of these.
Use the CAR Model (outlined below) to prepare your answers in a structured and strategic way.

Using the CAR Method to Answer Competency-Based Interview Questions

The golden rule when you’re answering behavioural interview questions is to adhere to the CAR Principle: Context, Action, Result. Remember these three steps and you’ll be well on your way to thoroughly impressing your interviewer.

Context: Describe a situation and set the scene for a relevant example. The key here is to choose an example that clearly demonstrates the quality or skill about which the employer is asking.
Action: Explain the actions you took. Be specific and outline your steps and rationale.
Result: Detail the outcome of your action. Offer specific facts relating to the result. For instance, quote figures and statistics that back up your declaration.

CAR In Action

Q: Tell me about a time when you helped to turn around your team’s sales performance.

Context: “One of my previous employer’s sales divisions was experiencing decreasing sales — so I was brought in to help reverse the situation. My challenge was to manage the team effectively so they were able to exceed (not just meet) their sales targets.”

Action: “Over a six-month period, I introduced several initiatives within the team, including:

setting specific and measurable sales targets for each individual within the team;
introducing weekly sales meetings for the team and for each individual within the team;
implementing a structured sales training program.
I also conducted market research to identify what our main competitors were doing, set up focus groups with major clients to establish key goals, and introduced a new remuneration system that linked sales performance to remuneration packages.”

Result: “We increased sales by 60% and exceeded sales targets by 25% in the first quarter, and continued the upward trajectory throughout the next year.

Examples of Competency-Based Interview Questions

Adaptability

Tell me about a time when you changed your priorities to meet others’ expectations.
Describe a time when you altered your behaviour to fit the situation.
Tell me about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to consider new information or changing priorities.

Client-Focus

Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder beyond their expectations. How did you identify the need? How did you respond?
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a client/stakeholder service issue.
Describe a situation in which you acted as an advocate within your organization for your stakeholder’s needs, where there was some organizational resistance to be overcome.

Communication

Describe a situation you were involved in that required a multi-dimensional communication strategy.
Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive communication.
Tell me about a time when you had to pay attention to what someone else was saying, actively seeking to understand their message.

Organisational Awareness

Describe your organisation’s culture and give an example of how you work within this culture to achieve a goal.
Describe the things you consider and the steps you take in assessing the viability of a new idea or initiative.
Tell me about a time when you used your knowledge of the organisation to get what you needed.

Problem Solving & Judgment

Tell me about a time when you had to identify the underlying causes of a problem.
Describe a time when you had to analyse a problem and generate a solution.
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a problem or make a decision that required careful thought. What did you do?

Results Orientation

Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal.
Tell me about a time when you improved the way things were typically done on the job.
Describe something you have done to improve the performance of your work unit.
Describe something you have done to maximize or improve the use of resources beyond your own work unit to achieve improved results.

Developing Others

Tell me about a time when you coached someone to help them improve their skills or job performance. What did you do?
Describe a time when you provided feedback to someone about their performance.
Give me an example of a time when you recognized that a member of your team had a performance difficulty/deficiency. What did you do?

Impact & Influence

Describe a recent situation in which you convinced an individual or a group to do something.
Describe a time when you went through a series of steps to influence an individual or a group on an important issue.
Describe a situation in which you needed to influence different stakeholders with differing perspectives.

Innovation

Describe something you have done that was new and different for your organization that improved performance and/or productivity.
Tell me about a time when you identified a new, unusual or different approach for addressing a problem or task.
Tell me about a recent problem in which old solutions wouldn’t work. How did you solve the problem?

Leadership

Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective.
Describe a situation where you had to ensure that your “actions spoke louder than your words” to a team.
Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal.

Relationship Building

Describe a situation in which you developed an effective win/win relationship with a stakeholder or client. How did you go about building the relationship?
Tell me about a time when you relied on a contact in your network to help you with a work-related task or problem.
Give me an example of a time when you deliberately attempted to build rapport with a co-worker or customer.

Resource Management

Describe a situation in which you took a creative approach to resourcing to achieve a goal.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a resource management issue regarding people, materials or assets.
Describe the options you would consider when resourcing a project or goal if you did not have the available resources within your own span of control.
Describe a situation in which you established a partnership with another organization or stakeholder to achieve a mutual goal. What steps did you take to ensure the partnership was effective?

Self-Management

Describe the level of stress in your job and what you do to manage it.
Describe a time when you were in a high-pressure situation.
Describe a time when things didn’t turn out as you had planned, and you had to analyze the situation to address the issue.

Strategic Thinking

Describe a challenge or opportunity you identified based on your industry knowledge, and how you developed a strategy to respond to it.
Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a longer-term business objective.
Describe a time when you used your business knowledge to understand a specific business situation.

Liked This? Why Not Read Our Other Guides On Commonly-Asked Job Interview Questions